Teacher Information about ACES

Find out about Access to Creative Education in Scotland (ACES), a Widening Participation programme based at the University of Edinburgh. We offer events and support to eligible S4 to S6 students who wish to study a visual creative subject such as art, design or architecture as well as to their teachers.

What ACES is 

Access to Creative Education in Scotland (ACES) is a national Widening Participation (WP) project, funded by the Scottish Funding Council (SFC). It supports eligible S4 to S6 students in local state secondary schools, who are considering studying art, design or architecture. 

Eligible students can join at any time between S4 and S6.

Learn more about ACES support for students  

What ACES Edinburgh offers to teachers 

We will advise teachers who support ACES Edinburgh pupils, with the application process to visual creative degrees.

In addition to this, we offer Continual Professional Development (CPD) opportunities which may count towards the requirement to engage in Professional Learning for teachers registered in Scotland.

All of our activities for teachers are free of charge.

Teachers we work with

ACES Edinburgh supports teachers working in state secondary schools in the following Local Authorities:

• Edinburgh
• The Lothians (East Lothian, Midlothian & West Lothian)
• Scottish Borders
• Falkirk
• Stirling
• Clackmannanshire

We work with teachers of ACES-relevant subjects as well as those in pupil support roles, including:

• Teachers of Art and Design, Photography, Graphic Communication, Drama, or Design and Manufacture
• Guidance Teachers, Heads of House, Career Advisers, or Pupil Support

If you work in a school in a different area

If you work in a state secondary school in another area of Scotland, please reach out to your local ACES provider. 

Find out more about the ACES programme offered by the provider that is closest to you: 

• Glasgow School of Art

• The University of Dundee

• Robert Gordon University

ACES Teacher Events and activities 

We offer a range of events for local state school teachers. These may take place online, on campus, or in schools.

• Introduction to ACES and the support we offer
• Information sessions around the application process and portfolios
• Practical workshops focused on art, design, and architecture
• Visits of the Edinburgh College of Art (ECA) campus and ECA Graduate Show

Register your interest in ACES teacher events 

Sign up to the ACES Teacher Newsletter

Join the ACES Teacher Newsletter to find out about upcoming events for teachers as well as events and support for ACES Edinburgh students.

Sign up to the ACES Teacher Newsletter

ACES visiting local schools 

We have some capacity to visit state secondary schools in the eight Local Authorities listed above. A visit could involve

• Meeting school staff
• A talk to senior phase students
• A practical workshop for an S4 class

Register your interest in ACES visiting your school

Download the ACES poster 

You can download our poster to display it in your school.

ACES Edinburgh Poster (205.59 KB PDF)

Pupil resources

Our ACES resources webpage provides an overview of the application process to visual creative degrees and directs to useful websites for further research and portfolio development. 

The resources can be used by any S4 to S6 student – not just those signed up to ACES Edinburgh or eligible for the programme. 

ACES Resources

Contact us

_{ACES is run in collaboration with Reach: Scotland, a project managed by five universities throughout Scotland (the University of Aberdeen; the University of Dundee; the University of Edinburgh; the University of Glasgow; and the University of St Andrews), and funded by the Scottish Funding Council. The University of Edinburgh is responsible for the delivery of ACES and Reach in the south east of Scotland.}